


Thank You

by Ketch22



Series: Classic Rock One Shots [1]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Bow-Legged Dean Winchester, Castiel and Dean Winchester Have a Profound Bond, Established Castiel/Dean Winchester, Explicit Language, Fluff, Led Zeppelin References, M/M, Madison Square Garden, Marriage Proposal, POV Dean Winchester, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-07
Updated: 2020-03-07
Packaged: 2021-02-28 19:02:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,358
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23052136
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ketch22/pseuds/Ketch22
Summary: Castiel decides it's finally time to ask Dean to marry him, and transports them back in time to a Led Zeppelin concert to pop the question.*Based on the song Thank You by Led Zeppelin*
Relationships: Castiel/Dean Winchester
Series: Classic Rock One Shots [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1657309
Comments: 22
Kudos: 128





	Thank You

**Author's Note:**

  * For [wegoddessofhell](https://archiveofourown.org/users/wegoddessofhell/gifts).



> I hope this makes up for all the angst I've been writing lately. This is about as fluffy as it gets for me. And I'm sick, so... yeah.

“Where would you like to go?” 

“I dunno, Cas. Surprise me, just make it far away from here,” Dean said as he pushed himself up off the couch. “The whole place smells like vamp guts.” 

Cas couldn’t help but smile as he pulled Dean into his arms and kissed him gently, savoring the way Dean’s lips felt against his. “I think I can handle that.” He wanted this to be special, not just a normal ‘dinner and a movie’. He had big plans for this date. 

Dean’s hands roved over his trench coat and dipped inside, but Cas pulled back. He wasn’t quite ready for Dean to discover what he had hidden there. 

“Are we going now, or do I have time to shower first?” 

He considered this for a moment. “You may want to shower, but don’t eat anything.” 

Dean shrugged, probably assuming they’d eat when they reached their destination, and he wasn’t wrong - Cas was sure Dean could find food _anywhere,_ but his real motivation for not wanting Dean to eat was that there was going to be a significant amount of time-traveling involved, and the last time they’d attempted it, Dean had thrown up all over Cas’ shoes. That wasn’t exactly how he wanted to start things off.

Twenty minutes later, Dean walked out of the bathroom and Cas tucked away the mixtape Dean had made him all those years ago.

“Whatcha got there, angel?” Dean’s curious expression was enticing enough that Cas actually pulled it back out. 

  
“Dean’s Top 13 Zepp Traxx.” 

The smile that spread over his hunter’s face was contagious. “You still have that?” 

Cas nodded. “Of course I do, Dean. This is the most important gift I’ve ever been given.” 

The following moments were filled with tangled tongues and roaming hands, and Cas was content to stay just like that for awhile - it’s not as though they were on any kind of a schedule, time-traveling had a way of alleviating those concerns, but Dean had other plans. 

“Let’s go, the sooner we get back, the sooner I can ride you.” 

Cas’s bones turned to jelly and he was unembarrassed by the whimpering sound he made at those words. How he _ever_ got lucky enough to be the one that knew Dean like this, that _deserved_ Dean like this… was beyond him. He nodded, hoping that everything went according to plan and Dean still wanted to touch him at all when this was over. “Brace yourself.” 

He wrapped his arms protectively around Dean as he focused very clearly on his goal and transported them back in time. His nose was bleeding when they landed, but he was otherwise unhurt. “Dean?”

Dean choked on nothing and doubled over for a moment, but shook it off and stood back up. “Yeah, angel. I’m here, I’m good. Where the hell are we? Looks like the damn 70’s.” 

“You’re correct.” Cas noticed they were both strangely dressed in comparison to the people walking the street around them, and that was saying something given some of the outfits he saw. He pulled Dean into an alley where they wouldn’t be seen and zapped them into more appropriate outfits. For Dean, he chose a faded pair of tight blue jeans and an even tighter t-shirt, and for himself, a pair of baby blue slacks and a pale colored button-up. They looked ridiculous, but at least they were blending in. 

“You’re fuckin’ jokin’, Cas. You can’t be serious.” Dean tugged at the fabric of his shirt in an attempt to stretch it out. “Are you entering us in the circus? That what this mystery date is?” 

“No, not quite. Will you relax? I need you to trust me, we don’t have a lot of time to get where we’re going.” 

Dean made a frustrated noise but started heading back out of the alleyway. The jeans were so tight they accentuated his bow legs, and Cas’ heart nearly burst out of his chest. It was such a silly thing, to have that reaction to crooked legs, but it was so… _Dean._ Such a strong reminder that life goes on despite wars and battles and sacrifices. Dean and his bow legs would go on. 

He followed, careful not to make too much contact with Dean just yet - he couldn’t remember how the masses treated homosexuality during this decade, and he was already going to be pushing that boundary later on. It was best to keep himself in check until it was time. 

“Where are we, anyway?” Dean asked as they rounded a street corner and a very busy city came into view. “And why’s it so damn hot?” 

“Would you prefer shorts?” Cas looked him up and down with a raised eyebrow, and Dean cursed under his breath. “To answer your question, the date is July 29, 1973, and we’re in Manhattan.” 

Dean froze. “Cas?” 

He knew Dean knew _exactly_ what happened at this date and location, but did his very best to act oblivious. He turned toward Dean and tilted his head. “Yes, Dean?” 

“This is where they filmed ‘ _The Song Remains the Same.’_ You brought me to where Led _fucking_ Zeppelin filmed one of the greatest and weirdest concert DVDs I’ve ever seen.” 

“Did I? Hadn’t noticed…” Cas looked away, the very picture of innocence. 

Dean barked a laugh, and it was a joyous sound that echoed around them and caused people near them to turn their heads. “Are you serious?! I’m gonna -- _we’re_ gonna -- _Zeppelin?!”_

Cas nodded, unable to contain his smile. “Yes, and we need to hurry if we want decent seats.”

“Wait, how the hell did you even get tickets?”

He cleared his throat. “I’m an angel, Dean. I hardly think tickets will be necessary.” He began dragging Dean along, holding him a little closer so they didn’t lose each other in the growing crowd. 

Dean teased, “I thought you only used your powers for good?” 

They were forced to stop to wait for traffic to clear, so Cas turned to him and put a hand on his cheek. “After everything you’ve been through, everything you’ve sacrificed and fought for… I think giving you something like this is the _best_ possible use of my powers. You deserve happiness, Dean, and I’d do anything to give it to you.” 

Dean’s cheeks flushed but a tender smile graced his lips. “Jeeze, Cas. Sounds like you’re proposing.” 

“Does it?” was all he replied, a little put out with himself that he tipped Dean off to the endgame already. Traffic cleared and Cas pulled Dean across the street before he could respond, and the rest of their journey into Madison Square Garden was silent except for the exploding sounds of the city around them. 

He compelled anyone and everyone they met from the gate to the floor in front of the stage to get them through without issue. Every time they came upon someone new, Dean’s hand fisted around the back of Cas’ dress shirt in anxiousness, but it wasn’t necessary. They had no issues, and soon enough, they were standing just two rows back from the stage. 

Dean’s emotions were on overload and Cas could feel every single one of them, and he was tempted to calm him down but decided against it. For once, only good things were coming from Dean’s chest. Cas couldn’t pinpoint another moment in their history together where that was the case, except for maybe when Sam and Jess welcomed their first child. So, no. As overwhelming as it felt for Cas, he was going to let Dean experience this fully. 

The crowd was packed in tightly enough that no one noticed how close they were together, how many inches of their bodies were making contact. Dean’s eyes were glued to John Bonham’s drum set and when the lights went down in the Garden, Dean’s hand laced tightly with Cas’. “Holy shit. Holy fucking shit, Cas!” 

Cas rolled his eyes with a huge smile and was grateful for his nearly indestructible body, he was sure Dean’s grip on a human’s hand would have completely shattered it as Robert Plant, Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones and John Bonham took the stage. 

Bonham kicked things off with the opening beat to _Rock and Roll_ , and the deafening roar from the crowd gave Cas a very quick crash course as to why Led Zeppelin was one of the most famous bands to ever take the stage. 

_Celebration Day_ and _Black Dog_ followed, and when Page started into _Over the Hills and Far Away,_ Cas thought Dean was going to start crying. But when Plant’s voice joined in, Dean looked over at Cas and started singing with a bleary-eyed smile. 

“Hey angel, you got the love I need. Maybe more than enough. Oh, darlin’, darlin’, darlin’, walk awhile with me…” 

Cas smiled at the change Dean made in the lyrics and leaned up to kiss him softly. He braced himself for backlash, but none came. They may have been surrounded by sweating, cheering people… but they might as well have been completely alone. 

_Misty Mountain Hop_ had Dean doing the funniest little dance Cas had ever seen, and they both lost themselves in Page’s guitar during _Since I’ve Been Loving You._

The rolling, pulsing rhythm to _No Quarter_ had the sea of concert-goers moving as one, and Cas realized for the first time that _this_ was why humans enjoyed things like this. He never quite grasped why anyone wanted to stand in a mass of sweaty, gross people and have their eardrums blown out, but it was _this._ Being a part of something bigger than yourself, becoming one with those around you because you have something to unite you. It was a bit like war, without the fear of dying. 

_The Song Remains the Same_ gave way to Page and Plant taking the stage together, Page with just an acoustic guitar and John Paul Jones behind them on keyboards for _The Rain Song_. It was delicate and gentle, and Cas was a little surprised by the look on Dean’s face that this song hadn’t made the mixtape. 

On and on it went, through a version of _Dazed and Confused_ that lasted nearly thirty minutes. Page’s guitar and Plant’s voice screamed and whined in perfect harmony, and suddenly a full half an hour didn’t seem like long enough, even to Cas’ ears. 

And then, it was time for _Stairway to Heaven._ Dean really was crying then, the tears budding in the corners of his eyes and Cas quickly leaned up to kiss them away. He knew Dean was mourning his parents with every note, but maybe this was needed. Music healed, in ways that even angels couldn’t. 

Dean sang along next to him, his chest swelling, and Cas thought maybe it was because the lyrics reminded him of the fight they’d fought for too long. “And it’s whispered that soon, if we all call the tune, then the Piper will lead us to reason. And a new day will dawn, for those who stand long, and the forests will echo with laughter.”

Plant interjected, “Does anybody remember laughter?” 

The tears didn’t stop with the end of _Stairway,_ because then it was time for a lengthy drum solo by Bonham. Cas didn’t understand those tears at first, but it occurred to him that John Bonham died in September of 1980, effectively ending Led Zeppelin and putting an end to arguably one of the finest drummers to ever live. Dean was a baby at the time, this would be the first time he ever laid eyes on a living, breathing Bonham. Cas squeezed Dean’s hand a little tighter and sent love through the bond that linked Dean’s soul with Cas’ grace. 

Dean took a shuddering breath and the tone changed again, with _Heartbreaker_ and _Whole Lotta Love_ igniting the crowd and putting an end to Dean’s tears. He was dancing and laughing, singing along and urging Cas to do the same. Which, he did. 

The main show ended but it was just the beginning of Castiels’ anxiety. There would be two encores, but it was the very last one that had Cas’ stomach twisting uncomfortably. The band went off stage for several minutes until the roaring, pleading, desperate crowd drew them back for more. _The Ocean_ would always be one of Cas’ favorites, but he was practically bursting at the seams for the second encore so he barely paid attention. 

And then, it was time. The moment Cas had been waiting for for years. Several people paired off around them to slow dance when they recognized the beginning of _Thank You,_ and Cas took the opportunity to pull Dean to him in the same fashion. His arms draped lazily over Dean’s shoulders but he didn’t move, he wasn’t interested in dancing. He simply wanted to make sure he had Dean’s attention. 

When Dean sucked in a breath to start singing, Cas put a finger over his mouth and shook his head, beginning himself.   
  


Cas stepped back when he finished singing, just far enough to reach into his pocket and pull out a ring. There wasn’t room in the throng around them to kneel, but he was shorter than Dean so he simply looked up at him as the sound of Jones’ Hammond organ filled the space around them. “I love you, Dean Winchester. The broken parts, too. My existence was meaningless before you… and it would be meaningless again if you left. Stay with me. Marry me.” 

It was inadequate and he knew it, so he let their bond convey the things he couldn’t get out in words. Dean nodded and Cas slipped the ring on his finger. “Told you it sounded like you were proposing. You coulda done it on the damn street corner, Cas. I’d have still said yes. I’ll _always_ say yes.” 

Happiness and hope threatened to split his chest in two. He pulled Dean into a kiss as that last haunting note rang out, and then the Garden plunged into darkness. But Cas didn’t mind… with Dean by his side, he’d never truly be in darkness again. 

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Lyrics to Thank You by Led Zeppelin: 
> 
> “If the sun refused to shine,  
> I would still be loving you.
> 
> When mountains crumble to the sea,
> 
> There will still be you and me.
> 
> Kind woman, I give you my all.
> 
> Kind woman, nothing more.
> 
> Little drops of rain
> 
> Whisper of the pain.
> 
> Tears of love lost in the days gone by.
> 
> My love is strong,
> 
> With you there is no wrong.
> 
> Together we shall go until we die.
> 
> An inspiration's what you are to me.
> 
> Inspiration, look, see.
> 
> And so today my world—it smiles,
> 
> Your hand in mine, we walk the miles,
> 
> Thanks to you it will be done,
> 
> For you to me are the only one.
> 
> Happiness: no more be sad,
> 
> Happiness: I'm glad.
> 
> If the sun refused to shine,
> 
> I would still be loving you.
> 
> Mountains crumble to the sea,
> 
> There will still be you and me.”


End file.
